Green Business Certification

Verify Your Claims

Going green in the workplace is an effort that should be rewarded. But blowing your own horn isn’t just unbecoming, it can be downright suspicious. Unfortunately, misleading and erroneous claims about environmental and social performance (known as “greenwashing”) are all too common. This is why independent third-party certification is becoming a must for organizations serious about sustainability.

Our Expertise

From our inception TheGreenOffice.com has been on the leading edge of sustainable business practice. We have contributed to the development of the sustainability certification movement through founding memberships in programs such as B Corporation and the San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program, as well as our pioneering work in the use of product certifications to label and rank our catalog by greenness. Not only have we helped create and achieve new standards for sustainable business, we have guided many others on their own path to certification. The landscape can be daunting, but we’ve been there, we know it, and we’re here to help.

Business Advantages

Earning certification from the appropriate organization has many benefits, among them:

Gaining the interest and trust of customers increasingly voting with their dollars for green products and services

Access to a network of likeminded businesses that share knowledge and information about marketplace trends and workplace best-practices

Differentiating your organization from the competition by establishing a leadership role on the social and environmental issues of our time

Identifying new products, services, and markets through increased understanding of the opportunities embedded in the transition to sustainable business

Types of Certification

A wide variety of government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations have entered the field of sustainability certification. Third-parties can certify products, services, or organizations as a whole. Some certification programs are more robust than others, requiring that claims by an applicant be verified on the ground. Other certifications accept applicants’ sustainability claims at their word. Some certification programs represent legitimate efforts to provide consumers with valuable information about the companies they support through their purchases. Unfortunately, other certifying bodies are funded by industry groups with the intention of relaxing standards and/or confusing consumers.

Choosing a Program

Becoming certified is an investment that must be aligned with a variety of sometimes competing interests. Because of this, a number of tough questions can arise. What certification standards can realistically be met by my organization? What certifying bodies have garnered the most respect and best name recognition from my customer base? How can I be sure to avoid accusations of “greenwashing?" Answering these questions requires a degree of experience not not always found in-house and leading down the wrong certification path can be a costly and time consuming experience. This is why many seek expert assistance.

How We Can Help

Your path to certification begins with a free consultation. First, we work to understand your goals, resources, and timeline. From there we identify a range of options and recommend a preliminary course of action. For those just beginning an office greening initiative, we point you to a set of tools, information, products, and services that will serve as the foundation for achieving a suggested certification. For those more advanced, we will often simply guide you in the direction of one or more suggested certification programs for which you are already eligible. The good news is that regardless of your advancement towards sustainability in the workplace we have the expertise and resources to match.

Getting Started

If you would like to be contacted for a free consultation, please email info@thegreenoffice.com or call 800.909.9750.